Independence

I took this picture in Central Park, New York. It was a cold winter. Only a few people in the park. When I was walking around with my friends, there were a father and his little son playing in the field. Then, I found out that the father never got close to his son. He was just walking behind and sometimes leaded the way for him. The little guy fell down several times, but his father never jumped out to help him. Instead, he just squatted there and encouraged him to get up. I was really interested about these two lovely guys and took the picture above to record that moment.

I could understand the purpose of why could the father be so cruel with his son. He wanted his son to be independent. That is quite different from the parents in China. Take my parent as an example. When I was young, my parent never left me alone. They hold me in their arms while walking in the street. When I fell down, they always rushed on me and checked whether I was injured. I also had a baby-sitter when they were busy. Besides, my baby-sitter lived with us all the time expected holidays. This well-cared situation was mostly like some other parents at that time. Therefore, most children in China I think are less independent than the children in the US because our parents rarely give their children the opportunity to practice independence, which leads to that many of them hardly adapted to the new environment and sometimes narrow-minded. Compared to the children in the US, they tend to be more independent as a result of the different education received from the parents. On the whole, I strongly support the way what the father in the picture did to his son. Also, I believe the earlier the children become independent; the higher goal in their life will be achieved. This is the idea that I want to represent through this picture.